T1 finishes Dota 2 roster with Xepher, Jaccky ahead of DPC return

Just a couple of days after announcing the departures of Muhammad "inYourdreaM" Rizky and Tri "Jhocam" Kuncoro, T1 has acquired the services of Laotian Souliya “JaCkky” Khoomphetsavong and Indonesian Kenny “Xepher” Deo to finalize its lineup.

T1 will be looking to bounce back in 2021. After starting the year with an international roster built around Lee "Forev" Sang-don, the organization's Dota 2 team found itself battling it out on the fringes of the regional SEA scene. Although the team found some traction including a strong showing at ESL One Thailand 2020: Asia, T1  never established itself as an equal to Southeast Asia's top teams, TNC Predator and Fnatic.

The team's two newest additions seem like the perfect mix of young blood and veteran experience.

T1 looking to take off in Dota 2 with new lineup

With the additions of JaCkky and Xepher, T1's new roster stands as follows:

1. Souliya "JaCkky" Khoomphetsavong
2. Karl "Karl" Jayme
3. Samson Solomon Enojosa "Sam_H" Hidalgo
4. Kenny "Xepher" Deo
5. Wilson "Poloson" Koh Chin Wei

Xepher is the more well-known of the two players, having played on two of SEA's top organizations. The player has most notably competed with TNC Tigers and Geek Fam in the past, winning DreamLeague Season 10 with the former. Xepher most recently competed in Dota Summit 13 Online: SEA with Among Us, a stack that featured T1's head coach Park "March" Tae-won and superstar mid laner Abed "Abed" Azel L. Yusop. Xepher had a superb showing at the event, helping his team finish as the runners-up.

JaCkky is one of SEA's most promising up-and-coming carries, a feat he accomplished in just under two years of playing Dota 2 professionally. The player stepped into the competitive limelight while playing with Motivate.Trust Gaming, with the team emerging as one of SEA's best in 2020. Together with Trust, JaCkky won Dota Summit 13, defeating his new teammate Xepher in the finals with a clean sweep.

With the DPC finally getting an official start date on January 18, T1 will look to live up to the organization's legacy by establishing itself as one of southeast Asia's best. The new lineup looks promising on paper, but only time will tell if the team can climb to the top of the SEA scene.